Margaret Gordetsky
| Staff ReporterABF Employee Named Driver of the Year
For the second time in his nearly half a century of trucking, Bill Whim, who has covered 5 million miles without an accident, is American Trucking Associations’ National Driver of the Year.
By his own account, Whim, 66, has had a pretty good life driving a truck. The trucker, who worked at the South Pole with Admiral Richard Byrd, has accumulated an abundance of awards — state driver of the month many times, first and second place (in different years) in national truck driving championships and the prestigious Sontheimer Award in 1982. He won his first ATA Driver of the Year award in 1978.
Whim, who drives for ABF Freight System out of DeSoto, Kan., says it is easy because there are just four rules to follow. He calls the rules, which he says he made up himself, his “four cornerstones.”
“If you abide by these four simple rules, you stay out of trouble,” Whim says.
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![]() | Bill Whim adds this year’s ATA National Driver of the Year Award to his eight driver-of-the-month and three state driver-of-the-year awards. He was also won the ATA national title in 1978. |
How does one driver accumulate so many accolades?
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